The city of Stevens Point is considering changing the alignment – number of lanes, lane widths, bike lanes, etc. – of the Division/Church (Business Route 51) traffic corridor from the south city limits to the I-39 ramps. A project considering possible realignments has been underway for several months. Project staff held an introductory public meeting in January.

A second public meeting is scheduled for Thursday May 16 from 5:30 PM to 7 PM at Jefferson Elementary School (1800 East Ave). According to an announcement on the city’s website, “this meeting is intended to present preliminary alternatives to address the current deficiencies” of this corridor.

The announcement mentions that the meeting will be an open house format with a short presentation at 5:45 PM. All members of the public are invited to attend.

This project is an excellent opportunity to improve the infrastructure along the Division/Church corridor to make it safer and more comfortable for Poky Pedalers to bicycle to the many businesses located on this corridor.

The project scope also includes improving corridor crossings to make them safer. There are several popular intersections where crossing Division or Church by bicycle or on foot can often feel unsafe.

This public meeting will be a great way to learn what is being considered by project staff and to influence future decisions on what to build. All Poky Pedalers are encouraged to attend. If you need to get caught up on what happened at the first meeting, you can read my report on it here.

The actual construction won’t start for at least 3 years and will probably be phased over 5 or more years. But the planning on what to build is happening now, so now is the time to voice your opinions.

The city webpage on this project can be accessed here. A link to a PDF of what I presume are the meeting presentation slides is also available from that website – click the “Project Presentation” link in the left column.

To keep up-to-date on this project, click the Speak Your Poky link on the menu bar above and select the Division/Church St Corridor Study link. This is where Poky Pedalers can access my previous posts on this project, find out public meeting times and locations, and learn of other ways to voice your opinions.

I hope Poky Pedalers take advantage of this opportunity to encourage the installation of state-of-the art bicycle infrastructure on this vital commercial corridor in Stevens Point.

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